J A P J I

The Immortal Prayer-Chant

Transla ted by Khushwant Singb

Afterword by Mulk Raj Anand

m

PUBLICATIONS

obhiNOV pubLICOTiONS

First Edition 1987

@ Khushwant Singh

publis"ers

Sbakti Malik Abhinav publications B-37, HauzKhas New Dclhi-llOO16

ISBN Bh7017-225-X

Prtnurs ,

Hanll Raj Gupta & Sons Anand Parbat

New Delhi-! J0005

Dedicated If)

Bir and Trllochan SCI/llle), who keptaltve my faith In my Gurus

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FOREWORD A NOTE ON

THE SIKH RELIGION

The Sikh religion as enunciated in the scriptures is a wholesome mixture of Muslim doctrines and Hindu mystic philosophy, It inculcates belief in the unity of God and equates God with truth. The preamble to the morning prayer. Japji, is recited as an introduction to a religious ceremonial and is known as the "Mool Mantra"-tbe basic belief.

Sikhs do Dot believe in sacred rivers or mountains nor worship the stone images. "To worship an image, to make a pilgrimage to a shrine, to remain in a desert and yet have

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the mind impure is all in vain. To be saved, worship only the

Truth "-Guru Nanak.

Sikhism accepts the theory of "Karma" and life hereafter.

It holds that there is rebirth after death and that the form of the recreated being is determined by his actions in life: that a person may escape the vicious circle of death and rebirth by righteous living and thus achieve salvation.

Sikh tradition elevates society to the status of the lawgiver and the Judge. The last Guru devised means by which the will of the society could be ascertained and enforced. A resolution (Mata) passed by the elected representatives of the congregation (Sangat) becomes a 'Gurrnata' (order of the Guru).

The Sikhs do not have priests. Irrespective of status, all Sikhs are competent to perform a religious ceremonial. A class of professional scripture readers (Granthis) and musicians (Ragis) have come into existence, but they function mainly in big cities where the size of the congregation renders some sort of institutionalism necessary.

The Sikh religion does not recognise the caste system.

Guru Nanak chose a Muslim musician, who would normally be

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beyond the pale of the caste system, as a companion. His writings abound with passages describing as ungodly the conduct of those who condemn God's creatures (untouchables).

A feature of the Sikh religion which is particularly striking is its emphasis on prayer. The form of prayer is usually the repetition of the name of God and chanting hymns of praise.

Guru Nanak-the founder Master-was born in 1469 A.D.

He spread a message of love and universal brotherhood. He gave light and new life to the suffering humanity. Those who follow his teachings are known as Sikhs.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

JAPJI-the morning prayer-is a composition of Guru Nanak and is the first chapter of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scripture. It was apparently not all written at one time and the length of its verses, their metre and thought content frequently varies. The verses are in the nature of meditations. dealing with the fundamentals of the Sikh faith, namely, the conception of God, the place of the religious preceptor, the

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importance of prayer, a belief in the triumph of right over wrong. of transmigration, life hereafter and salvation. Unlike the rest of the Granth Sahib, it has not been set to music and is never sung. The language of Japji is the Punjabi of the fifteenth century and is extremely difficult to translate. My translation is largely based on the commentaries of Bhai Vir Singh.

KHUSHWANT SINGH

JAPJI-THE MORNING PRAYER

THERE is One God.

He is the supreme truth. He, The Creator,

Is without fear and without hale. He, The Omnipresent,

Pervades the universe.

He is not born

Nor does He die to be born again.

By His grace shalt thou worship Him, Before time itself

There was truth.

When time began to run its course He was the truth.

Even now, He is the truth And

Evermore shall truth prevail.

(NANAK)

These lines, which are not in verse, are known as the Mool Malflra-Ihe basic belief.

I

N at by thought alone Can He be known, Though one think

A hundred thousand limes; Not in solemn silence

Nor in deep meditation.

Though fasting yields an abundance of virtue It cannot appease the hunger for truth.

No, by none of these,

Nor by a hundred thousand other devices, Can God be reached.

How then shall the Truth be known? How the evil of false illusion torn?

o Nanak, thus runneth the writ divine, The righteous path-let it be thine.

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I

'i

II

By Him are allforms created,

By Him infused with life and blessed, By Him are some to excellence elated, Others born lowly and depressed.

By His writ some have pleasure, others pain; By His grace some are saved,

Others doomed to die, re-live, and die again. He will encompasseth all, there be none beside.

o Nanak, He who knows, hath no ego and no pride.

HI

Who bas the power to praise His might? Who bas the measure of His bounty?

Of His portents who has the sight?

Who can value His virtue, His deeds, His charity? Who has the knowledge of His wisdom?

o His deep, impenetrable thought?

13

How worship Him who creates life, Then destroys,

And having destroyed doth re-create'?

How worship Him who appeareth far Yet is ever present and proximate? There is no end to His description,

Though the speakers and their speeches be legion.

He the Giver ever giveth,

We who receive grow weary,

On His bounty humanity liveth

From primal age to posterity.

IV

God is the Master, God is truth, His name spelleth love divine,

His creatures every cry: "0 give, 0 give," He the bounteous doth never decline. What then in offering shall we bring

That we may sec His court above?

14

What then shall we say in speech That hearing may evoke His love'?

In the ambrosial hours of fragrant dawn

On truth and greatness ponder in medil~tion. Though action determine how thou be born, Through grace nlone comes salvation.

o Nanak, this need we know alone,

That God and Trulh are two in one.

v

He cannot be proved, for He is uncreated; He is without matter, self-existent.

They that serve shall honoured be,

o Nanak, the Lord is most excellent.

Praise the Lord, hear them that do Him praise. In your hearts His name be graven,

Sorrows from your soul erase

And make your hearts a joyous haven. The Guru's word has the sage's wisdom,

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The Guru's word is fuJI of learning, For though it be the Guru's word God Himself speaks therein,

Thus run the words of the Guru:

"God is the destroyer, preserver and creator, God is the Goddess too.

Words to describe are hard to lind, I would venture if I knew,"

This alone my teacher taught,

There is but one Lord of all creation.

Forget Him not.

VI

If it please the Lord

In holy waters would I bathe, If it please Him not, Wortbless is that pilgrimage. This is the Jaw of all creation,

That nothing's gained save by action.

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Thy mind wherein buried lie

Precious stones, jewels, gems,

Shall opened be if thou but try

And hearken to the Guru's word. This the Guru my teacher taught, There is but one Lord of all creation,

Forget Him not.

Were life's span extended to the four ages And ten times more,

Were one known over the nine continents

Ever in humanity's fore,

Were one to achieve greatness

With a name noised oyer the earth,

If one found not favour with the Lord What would it all be worth?

Among the worms be as vermin.

By sinners be accused of sin.

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o Nanak, the Lord fills the vicious with virtue, The virtuous maketh more true.

Knowest Thou of any other

Who in turn could the Lord thus favour?

VHr

By hearing the word

Men achieve wisdom, saintliness, courage and contentment.

By hearing the word

Men learn of the earth, the power that supports it, and the firmament.

By hearing the word

Men learn of the upper and nether regions. of islands and continents.

By hearing the word

Men conquer the fear of death and the elements.

o Nanak, the word hath such magic for the worshippers, Those that hear, death do not fear,

Their sorrows end and sins disappear.

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IX

By hearing the word. . .

Mortals are to godliness raised.

By hearing the word '"

The foul-mouthed are filled with pious praise.

By hearing the word

Are revealed the secrets of the body and of nature.

By hearing the word

Is acquired the wisdom of all the scriptures.

o Nanak, the word hath such magic for the worshippers, Those that hear, death do not fear,

Their sorrows end and sins disappear.

x

By hearing the word

One learns of truth, contentment, and is wise.

By hearing the word

The need for pilgrimages does not arise.

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By hearing the word

The student achieves scholastic distinction.

By hearing the word

The mind is easily led to meditation.

o Nanak, the word hath such magic for the worshippers, Those that hear, death do not fear,

Their sorrows end and sins disappear.

XI

By hearing the word

One sounds the depths of virtue's sen.

By hearing the word

One acquires learning, holiness and royalty.

By hearing the word

The blind see and their paths are visible.

By hearing the word

The fathomless becomes fordable.

o Nanak, the word hath such magic for the worshippers

Those that hear, death do not fear •

. )

Their sorrows end and sins disappear.

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XI[

The believer's bliss one cannot describe, He who endeavours regrets in the end. There is no paper, pen nor any scribe Who can the heliever's state comprehend. The name of the Lord is immaculate.

He who would know must have faith,

XIII

The believer hath wisdom and understanding; The believer hath knowledge of all the spheres; The believer shall not stumble in ignorance, Nor of death have any fears.

The name of the Lord is immaculate, He who would know must have faith.

XIV

The believer's way is of obstructions free;

The believer is honoured in the presence sublime;

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The believer's path is not lost ill futility, For faith hath taught him law divine. The name of the Lord is immaculate. He who would know must have faith.

xv

The believer reaches the gate of salvation' His kith and kin he also saves. ' The.believer beckons the congregation, Their souls are saved from transmigration. The name of the Lord is immaculate,

He who would know must have faith.

XVI

Thus are chosen the leaders of men

Thus honoured in God's estimation~ Tho.ugh .they grace the courts of kings, The?, minds are fixed in holy meditation. Their words are weighed with reason, They know that God's works are legion.

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Law which like the fabled bull supports the earth Is of compassion born;

Though it bind the world in harmony,

Its strands are thin and worn.

He who the truth would learn

Must know of the bul1 and the load it bore, For there are worlds besides our own

And beyond them many more.

Who is it that bears these burdens?

What power bears him that beareth them'? Of creatures of diverse kinds and colours The ever-flowing pen hath made record. Can anyone write what it hath writ?

Or say how great a task was it?

How describe His beauty and His might'! His bounty how estimate?

How speak of Him who with one word Did the whole universe create,

And made a thousand rivers flow therein? What might have I to praise Thy might?

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I have not power to give it praise. Whatever be Thy wish, I say Amen. Mayst Thou endure, 0 formless One.

XVII

There is no count of those who pray, Nor of those who Thee adore;

There is no count of those who worship, Nor of those who by penance set store.

There is no count of those who read the holy books aloud, Nor of those who think of the world's sorrows and lament, There is no count of sages immersed in thought and reason, Nor of those who love humanity and are benevolent.

There is no count of warriors who match their strength with

steel,

Nor of those who contemplate in peace and are silent. What might have I to praise Thy might?

I have not power to give it praise.

Whatever be Thy", ish, I say Amen.

Mayst Thou endure, 0 formless One.

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/ I

~

- ..:o-_____)

.."

XVIII

There is 110 count of fools who will not see, Nor of thieves who live by fraud.

There is no count of despots practising tyranny. Nor of those whose hands are soiled with blood. There is DO count of those who sin and go free, Nor of liars caught in the web of falsehood,

There is no count of the polluted who live on filth. Nor of the evil-tongued weighed down with calumny. Of such degradation. 0 Nanak, also think.

What might have [ to praise Thy might?

I have not power to give it praise.

Whatever be Thy wish. I say Amen.

Mayst Thou endure, 0 formless One.

XIX

Though there is no count of Thy names and habitations. Nor of Thy regions uncomprehended,

Yet many there have been with reason perverted

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WJ10 to Thy knowledge have pretended.

Thougb by words alone we give Thee name and praise, And by words reason, worship, and Thy virtue compute; Though by words alone we write and speak

And by words our ties with Thee constitute;

The word docs not its Creator bind.

What Thou ordainest we receive.

Thy creations magnify 'Thee,

Thy name in nil places find.

Wha: might have I to praise Thy might'? I have not power to give it praise. Whatever be Thy wish. I say Amen. Mayst Thou endure. 0 formless One.

xx

As hands or feet besmirched with slime, Water washes white;

As garments dark with grime Rinsed with soap are made light;

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So when sin soils the soul

Prayer alone shall make it whole.

Words do Dot the saint or sinner make, Action alone is written in tho book of fate, What we sow that alone we take;

o Nanak, be saved or for ever transmigrate.

XXI

Pilgrimage, austerity, mercy, almsgiving and charity Bring merit, be it as little as the mustard seed;

But be who hears, believes and cherishes the word, An inner pilgrimage and cleansing is his meed.

All virtue is Thine, for I have Done,

Virtue follows a good act done.

Blessed Thou the Creator, the prayer, the primal Truth and beauty and longing eternal.

What was the time, what day of the week,

What the month, what season of the year,

When Thou didst create the earthly sphere?

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The Pundit knows it not. nor is it writ in his Puran;

The Qadi knows it not, though he read and copy the Koran, The Yogi knows not the date nor the day of the week,

He knows not the month 01' even the season.

Only Thou who made it all can speak,

For knowledge is Thine alone.

How then shall l know Thee, how describe, praise and name'? o Nanak, many there be who pretend to know, each bolder

j n his clai m.

All I say is: "Great is the Lord, great His name;

What He ordains comes to be,"

o lvanak, he who sayeth more shall hereafter regret his

stupidity,

XXII

Numerous worlds there be in regions beyond the skies and below,

But tbe research-weary scholars say, we do not know. The Hindu and the Muslim books are full of theories; the answer is but one,

32

[ f it could be writ, it would have been, but the 'Writer thereof be Done,

a Nanak. say but this, the Lord is great, in His knowledge He is alone.

xxrn

Worshippers who praise the Lord know not His greatness, As rivers and rivulets that flow into the sea know not its

vastness,

Mighty kings with domains vaster than the ocean, With wealth piled high in a mountainous heap, Are less than the little ant

That the Lord's name in its heart doth keep.

XXIV

Infinite His goodness, and the ways of exaltation; Infinite His creation and His benefaction;

Infinite the sights and sounds, infinite His great design, Infinite its execution, infinite without confine.

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Many there be that cried in pJ.in to seek the end of all ending, Their cries were all in vain, for the end is past understanding. It is the end of which no one knoweth,

The more one says the more it groweth,

The Lord is of great eminence, exalted is His name.

He who would know His height, must in stature be tile same. He alone can his own greatness measure.

o Nanak, what He gives we must treasure.

xxv

Of His bounty one cannot write too much,

He the great Giver desires not even a mustard seed; Even the mighty beg at His door, and others such Whose numbers can never be conceived.

There be those who receive but are self-indulgent, Others who get but have no gratitude.

There be the foolish whose bellies are never filled, Others whom hunger's pain doth ever torment. All this comes to pass as Thou hast willed.

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Thy will alone breaks mortal bonds, No one else hath influence.

The fool who argues otherwise Shall be smitten into silence.

The Lord knows our needs, and gives, Few there be that count this blessings,

He who is granted gratitude and power to praise, o Nanak, is the King of Kings.

XXVI

His goodness cannot be priced or traded. Nor His worshippers valued, nor their store; Priceless too are dealers in the market sacred With love and peuce evermore.

Perfect His law and administration,

Precise His weights and measures;

Boundless His bounty and His omens, Infinite mercy in His orders.

How priceless Thou art one cannot state, Those who spoke arc mute in adoration,

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The readers of the scriptures expatiate, Having read. are lost in learned conversation.

The great gods Brahrnu and Tndra do Thee proclaim, So do Krishna and his maidens fair:

Siva and the Saivites do the name;

The Buddhas thou made, Thy name bear. The demons and the demi-gods,

Men brave men, seers and the sainted Having discoursed and discussed Have spoken and departed.

If Thou didst many more create Not one could any more state,

For Thou art as great as is Thy pleasure,

o Nanak, Thou alone Knowest Thy measure. He who claims to know blasphemetb

And is the worst among the stupidest.

XXVI[

Where is the gate, where the mansion From whence Thou watchest all creation,

Where sounds of musical melodies,

or instruments playing, minstrels singing, Are joined in divine harmony?

There the breezes blow, the waters run and the tires burn, There Dharmuraj, the king of death, sits in state;

There the recording angels Chitra and Gupta write

For Dharmaraj to read and adjudicate.

There are the gods Ishwara and Brahrna

The goddess Devi of divine grace;

There Indra. sits on his celestial throne

And lesser gods, each in his place.

There ascetics in deep meditation,

Holy men in contemplation,

'Ihe pure of heart, the continent, Men of peace and contentment, Doughty warriors never yielding, Thy praises are ever singing.

From age to age, the pundit and the sage

Do Thee exalt in their study and their writing. Ther e maidens fair, heart bewitching,

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Who inhabit the earth, the upper and the lower regions, Thy praises chant in their singing.

By the gems that Thou didst create,

In the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage,

Is Thy name exalted.

By warriors strong and brave in strife.

By the sources Jour from whence came life, Of egg or womb, of sweat or seed,

Is Thy name magnilied.

TIle regions of the earth, the heavens and the universe That Thou dJds[ make and dost sustain,

Sing to Thee and praise Thy name.

Only those thou lovest and with Whom thou art pleased Can give Thee praise and in Thy love be steeped. Others too there must be Who Thee acclaim,

I have no memory of knowing them

Nor of knowledge, 0 Nanak, make a claim.

He alone is the master true. Lord of the word, ever the same, He Who made creation is, shall be and shall ever remain;

He Who made things of diverse species, shapes and hues,

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1, t His handiwork His greatness proves,

Beholds t ia ,

Wbat He wills He ordains, .

Him no one can an order give, ..

To r~ 0 Nanak is the King of Kings,

For -:Ie, • , ,

As He wilts so we must live.

XXVJI[

As a beggar goes a-begging

Bowl in one hand. staff in the other, Rings in his ears, in ashes smothered, So go thou forth in life,

With earrings made of contentment, With modesty thy begging bowl, Meditation the fabric of thy garment, Knowledge of death thy cowl.

Let thy mind be chaste, virginal clean. Faith the staff on which to lean. *

k reference to the co Ayee pant~··. ,n 'In the original. the author mb ~s. ently held in great est!matlOn In

religious order now defunct, ,u fP·IJad to find anything which would the lifetime of the Guru, Having o;~~e transla tlons or commentaries, I

t~~e~h~~~~t fi~ t~!:tak~;~fe:e~e to it only in footnote.

Thou shalt then thy fancy humiliate

With mind subdued, the world subjugate, Hail! and to Thee be salutation.

Thou art primal, thou aif pure,

Without beginning, without termination

I n single form, for ever endure. '

XXIX

From the store-house of compassion Seek knowledge for thy food.

Let thy. heart-?eat be the call of the conchshell Blown In gratitude.

He ~ s tbe Lord, His is the will, His the creation He.l~ the master of destiny, of union and separ~tion. Hall. and to Thee be salutation.

T~oU art pri~al. ThOll art pure,

Wltl~out beginning, without termination, In single form, for ever endure. .

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xxx

Maya, mythical goddess in wedlock divine, Bore three gods accepted by all,

The creator of the world, the one who preserves,

And the one who adjudges its fall.

But it is God alone whose will prevails, Others but their obedience render.

He sees and directs, but is by them unseen,

That of all is the greatest wonder.

Hail! and to Thee be salutation.

Thou art primal. Thou art pure,

Without beginning, without termination.

In single form, for ever endure.

XXXI

He hath His prayer-mat in every region. In every realm His store.

To human beings He doth apportion

Their share for once and evermore.

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The Maker having made doth His own creation view. o Nanak, He made truth itself, for He Himself is true. Hail! and to Thee be salutation.

Thou art primal, Thou art pure,

Without beginning. without termination, In single form. for ever endure.

XXXII

Were I given a hundred thousand tongues instead of one, And the hundred thousand multiplied twentY-fold,

A hundred thousand times would I say, and any again, The Lord of all the worlds is one.

That is the path that leads,

These the steps that mount,

Ascend thus to the Lord's mansion

And with Him be joined in unison.

The sound of the songs of heaven thrills The like of us who crawl, but desire to fly. o Nanak, His grace alone it is that fulfils, The rest mere prattle, and a lie.

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XXXIII

Ye have no power to speak or in silence listen. To grant or give away,

Ye have no power to live or die. . .

Ye have no power to acquire wealth and dominion, To compel the mind to thought or reason,

To escape the world and fly. .

He who hath the pride of power, let him try and see.

o Nanak, before the Lord there is no low or high degree,

XXXIV

He Who made the night and day,

The days of the week and the seasons,

He Who made the breezes blow, the waters run, Tbe fires and the lower regions,

Made the earth-the temple of law.

He Who made creatures of diverse kinds With a multitude of names,

Made this the Iaw-

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By thought and deed be judged forsooth, For God is true and dispenseth truth. There the elect His court adorn,

And God Himself their actions honours;

There are sorted deeds that were done and bore fruit From those that to action could never ripen.

This, 0 Nanak, shall hereafter happen.

xxxv

In the realm of justice there is law;

In the realm of knowledge there is reason. Wherefore are the breezes, the waters and fire,

Gods that preserve and destroy, Krishnas and Shivas? Wherefore are created forms, colours, attire,

Gods that create, the many Brahmas?

Here one strives to comprehend,

The golden mount of knowledge ascend, And learn as did the sage Dhruva. Wherefore are the thunders and lightning,

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The moons and suns,

The world and its regions?

Wherefore are the sages, seers, wise men, Goddesses, false prophets. demons and demi-gods, Wherefore are there jewels in the ocean?

How many forms of life there be,

How many tongues,

HoW many kings of proud ancestry. Of these things many strive to know, Many the slaves of reason.

Many there are, 0 Nanak, their numbers are legion.

XXXVI

As in the realm of knowledge reason is triumphant And yields a myriad joys.

So in the realm of bliss is beauty resplendent. There are fashioned forms of great loveliness; Of them it is best to remain silent

Than hazard guesses and then repent.

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There too fire fashioned consciousness, understanding, mind and reason,

The genius of the sage and seer, the power of humans

superhuman.

XXXVII

In the realm of action, effort is supreme, Nothing else prevails.

There dwell doughty warriors brave and strong, With hearts full of godliness,

And celestial maidens of great loveliness Who sing their praise.

They cannot die nor be beguiled,

For God Himself in their hearts resides. There too are congregations of holy men

Who rejoice, for the Lord in their midst presides. In the realm of truth is the Formless One

Who, having created, watches His creation

And graces us with the blessed vision

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There are the lands, the earths and the spheres Of whose description there is no limit;

There by myriad forms are a myriad purposes fulfilled, What He ordains is ill them instilled.

What He beholds, thinks and contemplates, o Nanak, is too hard to state.

XXXVHI

If thou must make a gold coin true Let thy mint these rules pursue.

In the forgo of continence

Let the goldsmith be a man of patience, His tools be made of knowledge.

His anvil made of reason;

With the fear of God the bellows blow,

With prayer and austerity make the fire glow. Pour the liquid in the mould of love,

Print the name of the Lord thereon,

And cool it in the holy waters.

For thus in the mint of truth the word is coined, Thus those who are graced are to work enjoined. o Nanak, by His blessing have joy everlasting.

SHLOK (Epilogue)

Air, water and earth, OJ these are we made.

Air like the Guru's word gives tlte breath of life To the babe born to the great mother earth Sired by the waters.

The day and night our nurses be Thea watch us ill our infancy.

In their laps we play.

The world is our playground.

Our acts right and wrong at Thy court shall come to judgmen t. Some be sealed near Thy seat, some ever kept distant.

The toils have ended of those thai have worshipped Thee,

o Nauak, their faces are lit with joyful radiance+many others they set free.

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AFTERWORD

Some of the earliest words I heard were from the Japji recited by my mother, as she had learnt them by rate in her devout father's home.

I recall that to us children the sound of the words was more affecting than the sense, which, of course, we did not understand.

Later, when I heard the musical words for half an hour every morning in the Harminder Sahab, the effect on llS new young, and the men and women, mostly peasants, seemed to be mostly of the sound.

Still later, as a student of philosophy and religion, I felt the need to be able to read and understand the meaning of the words.

5l

I heard Bhui Vir Singh's discourses in Amritsar on many afternoons. My Professor in Khalsa College. Sardar Teja Singh, had written commentaries on the Sikh scriptures. And I read the English renderings of Guru Granth by Crump.

I realised that, in his r estless youth, Nanak had strayed away from his family to live with the ascetics. He had wanted to go astride the decay around him, from the eddies of his brain, to confront the dire human predicament before him. His body and mind were often dazzled by visions of the whirlpool of light.

As I had studied the poetry of Rumi, Jarni, Nizarni, Hafiz and Amir Khusrau, with some difficulty in the original Persian, and with some ease in various English translations, I realised that Nanak had absorbed the ethos of Islamic poetical mysticism, inherited the belief in ecstasy of union of Baba Farid, Nizam-ud-Din Aulia and Kabir.

Of the three approaches to Reality, the Jnana (cognition), the Karma (conative) and Bhaktl (affective), he seems to have been inclined to the last.

In the face of the feudal chaos in the land under the rule

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of Lodi Sultans, soon to be trampled upon by the Mongol hordes of Babur, he felt that men and women can get over the awe, fear and stress of outer experience through intense moments of revelation.

He had sensed the essence of the spiritual 'disclosures' of his predecessors the Hindu Bhaktas, who believed in personal devotion. And thus he sought to fuse the many gods of the Hindus with the One God of' Islam.

This fusion enabled him to go beyond the rituals, which had taken the place of religions in the shrines of Hindus and Muslims alike, to inaugurate a Reformation, as Gautama had done in his own time.

The simplicity, purity and warm humanity of his approach to people brought many Seshas to him.

And as God was the cosmos, he could enable his followers to touch Him in every speck of golden dust. on every leaf and ftowerbud.

The peasant folk, 'natural' men, living in dim pantheistic connection with the elements, by hard toil relieved by their joyous harvest festivals, found confirmation of their hunches in

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the songs sung by the sage Nanak to the tune of the string insfrument, the Rahab,

On the same landscape, long ago, the Aryan infiltrators had been startled by the elements and had deified them; tho lovely dawn as Usha; the eanh as Prithvi; the thunder and lightning as Indra; the fiery sun as Surya; the vast vault of the sky as Varuna.

The ethereal beauty of the lush vegetation, of the Shiwaliks over which loomed the Himalayas, the fruits of the earth around, the changing colours of the twelve seasons of the year, were to Nanak concrete manifestations of the Vortex. Visions of the Divine, which he sang to his followers in ecstasy.

Emerging from a village of the fertile earth, in the heartland of the five rivers, he had sensed the collective unconscious of the folk, living in dim pantheistic connection with the elements.

As God was in the heart of the Vortex, Nanak himself was absorbed in pools of light, of the manicoloured whirl of the kaleidoscope of inner experience of his visions.

And as he went from hamlet to hamlet, with his two com-

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panions, Bala and Mardana, he enabled his followers to touch Him. from the sense of His presence in the words.

On and on he moved, living with the humblest, the most forlorn. the rejected and suffering. and revealed the joys of the quest in the span of birth, death and rebirth.

And he did not turn back on his own luminous sense of tbe universe, his touch with the meaning of existence, which surpassed all categories of thought. He was able to cornrnunicate his experience of consummate bliss to children of the earth.

Behind the words of the Jupji, then, one can sense his approach to the invisible, through both the vertical thinking by which it is possible to do logical analysis or sense experience. and lateral thinking, which uses sound of onomatopoetic words, to uplift the reciter and the hearer,

The prose-poems of the Japji envelop us by opening our third eye to the experience of concrete manifestations of nature, the overall circle of light, which shone in the nimbus, which people saw around Nauak's face, lit up by the shimmering glow of the flame which burnt inside him.

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It is possible that his prayer book has enabled millions of people to see, in the midst of tensions of human life, even if dimly, the reflection of the burning truth behind the words.

MULK RAJ ANAND